Negative Capability

In this chapter we explore in detail the notion of Negative Capability and how it can be understood to contribute to leadership practice. Having discussed in Chapter 2 the genesis of the idea and its relevance to working in uncertainty, we begin by illustrating what such leadership might look like. The early part of this chapter then explores the origins of Keats’ insight gained through a catalogue of challenging life experiences. This forms the basis of a critique of existing literature on Negative Capability in leadership, which tends to focus on ways of thinking, feeling and doing.By contrast, our interpretation of Negative Capability is as a way of being, being with, and being without. It is argued that Negative Capability enables us to work in a state of not knowing without simply reaching for old ideas or resorting to habitual behaviours. This focus on being-in-the-world also contributes to the important task of humanizing our responses to dealing with the challenges of working in uncertainty. The chapter ends by introducing the importance of a focus upon inquiry and the practice of attention when leadership involves working without knowledge—ideas that are explored in greater depth in Chapters 4 and 5 .